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Search setting: from low to high

I’ve considered myself a goth for most of my adolescent life, in spirit anyway. It was only last August that I finally found the courage to ditch my vibrant t-shirts and blue jeans for a black wardrobe. I fixed my hair to match my clothes, and all was well with the world, at least for a bit.

Yes, my outfits fit with the goth lifestyle in color – or lack thereof – but they missed that extra punch to solidify the look. As a 21 year old and a newcomer to fashion, I was behind. Depressingly so. Everyone around me already seemed to have their style set, yet I wasn’t really sure how to move forward.

So what’s a girl to do?

We are a minority in the community, and it makes shopping tough. Other than H&M, there’s no quality stores in person that even come close to the desired look of edginess many of us strive for. Those not in the know always seem to recommend Hot Topic, but if I have to see another tee with a mustache print, I’m going to puke. There’s only so many juvenile pop culture references and crazes I can stand to look at.

Photo courtesy of Hot Topic.

Forget Obi-Wan; the Internet is our only hope.

I’ve been exploring Etsy all summer. The site hosts a variety of independent clothing lines with a grand collection of alternative productions. A find of mine from my personal favorite. Vera’s Eyecandy mixes film and music with a dark grandiose allure. Lace is frequented in store owner Veronica’s outfits as are cut-shoulder dresses, both of which make me swoon.

It’s here, and everywhere else on the internet, however, that I run into another issue: Being goth is expensive. Most websites don’t dip below $50 for a dress. Even with the search settings set from low to high, I find the $100 mark been reached too quickly.

I understand why. When working as an independent, you have to charge extra to make profit. It’s not just the material customers are paying for; it’s the numerous hours spent making the outfit given that there’s no factory at the ready to speed up the process.

In the end, it comes down to shopping at stores like H&M and buying a lot for your money or slowly gathering up enough cash to buy one item at a time from an online store.

The decision-maker is how long you can stand not looking the way you want to look, the way you’ve always dreamed about. It’s not an easy choice to make. I’m taking my time making mine. If I do end up going the latter route, I’ll go straight to here to review the store.